Do you invest in everyone but yourself?
Are you really good at investing in other people?
Your kids. Your team. Your community. Do you sometimes even invest so much that you find yourself over-committed and exhausted?
But when it comes to yourself, do you hesitate?
I've been thinking about this email for a few weeks. And just while it's been top of mind, I’ve caught myself doing exactly this. A few times.
I've been considering a 6-month sales and marketing program with someone I know and respect. I have big goals for this year and I'm confident it would help me get there. I’ve been thinking about working with this person for a couple of years (I know) and this particular program for a few weeks. But I’ve been dragging my feet.
It's a not-insignificant financial investment and there are so many other things I could spend my money on. I kept thinking, but do I NEED this? Or am I doing okay on my own?
I finally signed up last week, partly BECAUSE OF THIS EMAIL. Seriously. I’m so annoyed with myself.
The second I signed up, I felt only relief. But it was hard to get there. Lots of internal hemming and hawing for something I knew was right.
I recently heard Elise Loehnen talk about how women are conditioned to be "good" — selfless, agreeable, always putting others first. And how that makes it really hard for us to even acknowledge what we want, let alone go after it.
So we don't ask. We don't invest. We wait.
But while you're waiting, the people who need your expertise right now aren't finding you.
Your outdated brand — the one that doesn't reflect how much you've grown — is keeping you invisible.
Every month you wait is another month of the people who need you most scrolling past your website, not recognizing you as the expert who could solve their problem
That's not just leaving money on the table. It's leaving impact on the table.
When your brand matches your expertise, you stop playing small. You reach more people. You make a bigger impact. You feel confident raising your rates and going after the opportunities you've been quietly talking yourself out of.
The websites I build aren't just pretty wallpaper. They're designed to showcase your authority and position you as someone who's doing big things. Someone who commands premium prices.
Goodies Just For You
WHAT I’M THINKING ABOUT: A good chunk of the recipes I share here are by Alison Roman. I found her during the pandemic, along with half the millennial world (I’m solidly Gen X, but I have some millennial media-consuming tendencies). I love her recipes and really admire her personal brand. I know in my heart that we’re supposed to be best friends. So it was a delight to hear her on the Second Life podcast talking about the freedom and anxiety of self-employment, building something that’s above all for yourself, the hard questions around scaling in a way that feels good. I ate it up. (See what I did there? Ugh I apologize.)
WHAT I’M MAKING: Naturally, I have to share an Alison Roman recipe. I have so many favorites, but this week: her Tangy Short Ribs. It’s the first and only short ribs recipe I’ve ever made. And I have a hilarious, embarrassing story about confusing short ribs and spare ribs that I’ll save for another time. The point is, this recipe is outrageously delicious. Make it while it’s still braised meat season. I serve it over polenta.
WHO I’M ADMIRING: I do a lot of networking and coffee chats, and Susie Moon is in a category of her own. Not only is she a great hang, but she’s genuinely intentional and generous about how she shows up for people. She’s a visibility expert who helps service providers increase sales through finding the right rooms or the right speaking engagements, referral partnerships, and making the right connections. She has a free Referral Roundup Event on March 10, this Free List of Networking Events, and a Free Service Provider Directory. See what I mean about generous? Check out her Visibility Packages here.
